Which Meiji-era poet coined the term 'haiku' and revived the form?

The Meiji-era poet who coined the modern term “haiku” and helped revive the form was Masaoka Shiki. Born in 1867 and dying in 1902, Shiki was also a literary critic, journalist, and reformer who treated short Japanese verse as serious modern literature.

Before Shiki, the opening verse of a linked renga or renku sequence was called hokku. Although hokku had already begun appearing independently, Shiki argued that the standalone poem should be understood as a separate genre. He proposed haiku, an abbreviation connected with haikai no ku, meaning a verse of haikai.

Shiki’s reform movement emphasized shasei, often translated as “sketching from life.” He encouraged poets to observe subjects directly and favored clear, realistic images over stale wordplay. He also reassessed earlier masters, especially Yosa Buson, while preserving important features such as seasonal reference and concise structure. Shiki’s short life was marked by tuberculosis, yet he produced nearly 20,000 haiku and influenced modern haiku and tanka poetry. Kyoshi Takahama later became one of his important disciples.